Feeding and Nutrition :: They're always hungry..

[easy2putt]

It seems like they're always hungry..they go mad-crazy when they see me coming with the Reptomin..they try to eat the yellow top..

BTW: I let them bite my finger, they're small..doesn't hurt, but is this bad to do..they're just so darn cute. Very hard mouths..


I feed them from my hand when I can..

[Lantic]

Yeah, if they could, they would eat until they died from eating to much.

[Diamondbacks4Life]

Throw in some romaine lettuce, they can eat as much as they want of that.

[TheComputerGremlin]

easy2putt - I would recommend that you don't allow them to bite your fingers anymore. Very soon they will get bigger and as they get bigger, their little jaws get a lot more force behind it. One day, you may very well end up with a significant chunk of skin missing, and probably an infection following it (from inherently dirty tank water, if not Salmonella).

Also, to begin to minimize the begging, visit their tank frequently without bringing food. Just come over and spend some time with them, and maybe vary their feeding times as well. Then they will never know when they are being fed or not!

As for your avatar, I'm worried. Are those your two turtles on that basking area? That is way too small for them to both be able to get the light they need. I would recommend a larger basking area, or a second one. That way, they can both completely dry off and get the tops of their shells sunned!

[easy2putt]

I've fixed the baskin area..I'm going to move them into a 40 gal. tank soon..we're moving soon so right now things are on hold.

[theartbook35]

Sometimes a turtle may nip to be playful, rather than defensive, at random. You can see it in their body posture. However, encouraging a turtle to bite you on a regular basis is poor socializing. I don't want to be rude but it is. Imagine when they grow up, they've learned biting you is okay, and like anyone you live what you learn. When your turtle needs their tank cleaned, or is sick, you need handling to be trustworthy for them, and painless for you.

There isn't enough information on the internet about socialization and handling of reptiles. People woll seek out the internet long before they buy a book.